What The Apple Watch Hermès Tells Us About the Future of Tech and Luxury

Last week, Apple unveiled Apple Watch Hermès, a new collection of
Apple watches that links the tech giant with French fashion house Hermès for a striking opening act to fashion month. The new watches in stainless steel feature an etching of Hermès signature and a customizable face with three exclusive dial designs inspired by Clipper, Cape Cod and Espace Hermès watches.

Joined by the brands’ mutual focus on design, the Apple Watch Hermès is a result of what Pierre-Alexis Dumas, artistic director of Hermès called “an alliance in excellence; like horse and carriage, a perfect team.” Beyond the obvious strategic move of two companies at the top of their games, the partnership holds implications about the future of tech and luxury.

First of all, there is the obvious progression of tech products becoming more luxury-oriented, and luxury products becoming more tech-oriented. The Apple Watch is unique for having no visible Apple logo when the product is being worn. Giving Hermès the limelight, Apple is able to reach out to an affluent yet fashion-centric audience that was not previously reachable. Coupled with the fact that Apple shelled out for plenty of advertising pages in Vogue and delivered devices to models, the brand sends a clear signal that it's trying to sell the Apple watch to the fashion world. As for Hermès, a 178-year-old brand famous for its iconic handbags and leather goods, entering any partnership like this is a rare yet strong statement that it wants to be viewed as contemporary.

(Photo credit: Courtesy of Apple and Hermès)

With Apple wanting a luxurious edge, and Hermès hoping to branch out from their ‘wealthy grandmother and mother’ clientele, the Apple-Hermès partnership also informs us about the millennial demographic targeted by both companies, according to Milton Pedraza, CEO of the Luxury Institute.

Perhaps the best way to understand the demographic, as the luxury expert noticed, is the pricing of the watches. Ranging from $1,100 for the 38mm stainless steel case with the Single Tour (single band) to $1,500 for the 42mm stainless steel case with the cuff, the Apple Watch Hermès is not the most expensive watch for either brand.

Initially, the luxury expert thought the price defeats the “exclusive” nature of a luxury product, a quality that could arguably justify more structural and design improvements on the current product. Yet, with Apple’s resistance towards the notion of exclusivity, plus the fact that millennials are “notoriously averse to the concept of snobbery, the choice to manufacture a product for this 'relatively accessible' pricing makes a lot of sense,” said Pedraza.

The Apple Watch Hermès comes in four different colors. (Photo credit: Courtesy of Apple and Hermès)

While I think the Apple Watch Hermès could benefit from more refined elements from Hermès and more technological features from Apple, it's a decent first attempt nonetheless. According to Pedraza, the collaboration is significant as it marks the transitional period before millennials become fully capable as primary consumers. And during this “period of positive disruption and innovation,” there are a few things he said we should expect: “Even fewer people will visit actual stores, and future products—whether they are in the tech or luxury market—will become more experiential.”

Splitting my time between New York and Hong Kong, I’m always on the prowl for the latest and greatest restaurants, food trends, and style news. I have contributed to ELLE (Hong Kong), The Knot, The Wall Street Journal Asia, and Valentino (Asia Pacific). As a history buff, I’...